::RECAP:: WALE | Live
2011 was an exciting year for Hip-Hop, with many new breakout artists staking their claim in the industry, and seasoned vets defending their throne as Hip-Hop royalty. Somewhere in between is where we find Wale Folarin. Ambition is why Wale has been able to tour the United States and perform for the fans that made his sophomore album number two on the Billboard charts in its first week. It seemed fitting that he spend the top of the year celebrating this next chapter of success at home in the DMV.
Wale’s Board Administration artists, Fatz Da Big Fella and Black Cobain, opened the show as the crowd began to fill The Fillmore to capacity. Avid fans and followers, familiar with the up and coming DMV artists, rapped along to the elusive rhymes, while others waited patiently, inquisitively in anticipation of the main event.
Wale's completely packed performance at The Fillmore in Silver Spring on Sunday night featured a welcome blend of chart-topping hits and a growing catalog that satisfied his rapidly expanding niche following. Wale hit the stage to the strains of his recent single "600 Benz," a skyscraper of a track with a booming Ross chorus and shivering string stabs. As the show went on, the energy level grew higher and higher.
Performances of throwbacks like “Chillin,” “Beautiful Bliss,” and “90210″ had the veteran Wale fans screaming at the top of their lungs. While songs from Ambition, like “Sabotage” (which is speculated to be his next single), “Slight Work,” and “No Days Off” were so well known that Wale didn’t even have to perform. And when the backtrack for “Lotus Flower Bomb” began, the crowd was hypnotized. Easily Wale’s biggest record to date, the crowd of hipsters, street dudes and sexy ladies sang along to every word, whole-heartedly. A dichotomy that few artists, old or new, have mastered in the industry. Still, nothing received a more boisterous welcome than the performance of the go-go infused single “Bait.” The crowd was in an uproar; the energy was electrifying.
Though Folarin could use a more polished stage presence, the hour-plus show was intimate and fun. With facetious crowd interactions, photo breaks, and autograph signings intermittent throughout the performance, one thing was apparent- Wale was home, and the DMV was happy to have him.
Make sure to keep up with Wale at http://www.ralphfolarin.com/ and @WALE
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